Head injuries from contact sports widely recognized as a serious health issue. High-impact collisions can sometimes result in concussions, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines as a “type of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that can change the way your brain normally works.” There is a growing body of scientific and clinical evidence linking concussions and long-term impairment of cognitive functions. Repeat concussions are linked to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that has Alzheimer-like symptoms. In a 2012 study, autopsy of 85 deceased brain donors who suffered multiple brain injuries revealed signs of CTE in 65 of 85 donor brains. Symptoms of CTE start with headaches and problems with concentration in the early stages, followed by depression, aggression, explosive anger and short-term memory loss. More serious cognitive impairments occur later, and eventually result in full-blown dementia.
In sports such as American football, hockey, and men's lacrosse, hard helmets are used to reduce the impact of collisions. However, in other sports such as soccer, women's lacrosse, rugby, and volleyball, where hard helmets are not worn, or are rarely worn, options for protecting against head-to-head collision, repeat ball-to-head impact, and collision with the ground or goal posts, are still limited.